The Song of Our Nature
by AlucardsBro
Summary: Some people wish that their lives were like a fairy tale. They want to go on grand adventures, meet their prince or princess, fall in love, and live happily ever after. For one young college student, however, this constantly sought after dream becomes much more than a reality. It becomes his entire life.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Girl with the Amber Eyes

* * *

 **For those of you who are following "Bloodstained Souls," I am taking a very short break from that story in order to move past some writer's block I have been experiencing. I hope to get back to it either later this week or early next week.**

 **After I post the first few chapters of this new story, I will be going back to "Desires of the Heart" as well. If all goes according to plan, the "Professor Kurosaki" rewrite will also get its first new chapter up soon enough.**

 **Just so everyone is clear, this is a complete AU. This means that there will be no Soul Reapers or Hollows. There will be some minor supernatural elements though. Fair warning, this story may not be what it might first appear to be. ;)**

 **I hope you all enjoy!**

 **AlucardsBro Out!**

* * *

" _Some people wish for their lives to be like fairy tales._

 _They want to meet their prince or princess, and live happily ever after._

 _Well, my life actually was like a fairy tale;_

 _And, although there were definitely hardships, I would never wish for anything to change it…"_

* * *

The streets of Tokyo were just as busy as one might expect them to be on a Monday morning.

People bustled about, trying to get through their daily lives as efficiently as possible. Some went to their jobs, some went home, and some where simply out enjoying themselves. One young man, however, was simply trying to get to school before the bell rang.

Jogging amongst the crowds of people at a brisk pace, Ichigo Kurosaki shouted apologies as he bumped shoulders with various pedestrians. He really hadn't meant to wake up late, but apparently his damn alarm clock had decided to die during the night, and therefore it hadn't gone off at its predetermined time.

He could see the distinctive shape of Tokyo University just a few blocks ahead, and he let out a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, when he glanced down at his watch, that relief was squashed faster than a watermelon at the beach.

His light jog became a dead-on sprint, and he ignored the shouts of indignation and frustration that were directed his way.

Tearing through the gates of the campus, he blurred past other students and quickly made his way through the entrance of the History Building. Ascending the stairs at an almost superhuman speed, the orange-haired young man managed to squeeze through the classroom doors just as his professor was closing them.

"Ah, Mister Kurosaki, you aren't usually late so I will be excusing your tardiness this one time. I will not be so lenient in the future," the middle-aged man warned with a slightly raised brow.

"I'm sorry Professor Ukitake; my alarm clock busted on me during the night. It won't happen again," the twenty-one-year-old student gasped, collapsing into his seat. Several other students further down the row scooted away. Ichigo reeked of sweat…

The white-haired professor merely shook his head and made his way back up to the front of the class. "Alright then everyone, please take out your textbooks and open them up to page fifty-nine. Today we will be discussing the French Revolution, and how it made such a large impact on the rest of the world's history."

Reaching into his backpack and pulling out his textbook and notepad, Ichigo prepared to take some extremely diligent notes, but a sudden flash of color suddenly caught his attention. Looking up from his desk, the orange-head was surprised to see an unfamiliar face sitting several rows in front of him. The young woman in question had dark skin, which contrasted quite colorfully with her dark purple hair. A simple orange shirt covered her upper half, and a pair of long black leggings concealed her legs.

She turned slightly, and Ichigo was finally able to catch a glimpse of her eyes. They were a truly stunning shade of bright amber…

Who the hell was she? He'd been in this class for over half a semester, but not once had he ever even seen her anywhere else on campus. Whoever she was, she was incredibly beautiful…

The violet-haired woman suddenly turned around and caught him red-handed in his staring. She offered him a coy smile and a friendly wave, and Ichigo merely grumbled under his breath and turned a light shade of red.

Looking back down at his textbook, he attempted to tune back into what Professor Ukitake was discussing. However, unfortunately for him, the image of that pearly white smile and those dancing golden eyes appeared to be seared directly into his brain.

Taking a chance, he looked back up at the mysterious girl, and was relieved to see that she too had turned her attention back to the front of the classroom.

Shaking his head, he once again tried to focus back on the subject matter. He was only partially successful…

* * *

The rest of the day went by as it always did.

After his first class had ended, Ichigo had lost sight of the golden-eyed girl. Unfortunately, he didn't have any time to spare looking for her. Moving on to his next class, his thoughts had eventually become clearer, and he was able to focus once again on actually listening to the material he was being taught.

Near the middle of the day, he finally caught enough of a break between his last two classes to grab a bite to eat, and so he made his way to the campus café. Shuffling through the long line of his fellow students was a bit of a chore, but after picking himself out a sandwich, an apple, and some soda, he finally made his way to a secluded table where he could relax.

Sitting down, he prepared to dig into his meal, but a sudden tapping on his shoulder interrupted him. Looking over his shoulder, he was confused to see that there was absolutely no one there. A loud crunching sound caught his attention, and he whirled back around to witness the girl from his class taking a very generous bite out of his apple.

"Hey!" He griped. "That was mine!"

"Call it payment for staring at me like a pervert," she replied with an easy shrug.

"I wasn't-"

"Yeah, you kinda were…"

Letting out a sigh, Ichigo gestured to the empty seat next to him, where his new acquaintance promptly plopped down.

"So, does my stalker have a name?" the violet-haired beauty snarked.

"Ichigo Kurosaki; and if anything, you're the stalker for following me all the way to the cafeteria," the orange-head shot back. The girl actually let out a laugh and lightly punched his shoulder.

"Fair enough Berry Boy," she chuckled, ignoring his growl at the nickname. "My name's Yoruichi."

"I didn't ask…"

"Oh, but I know you wanted to."

Ichigo blushed lightly, and Yoruichi belted out another hysterical laugh.

"Anyway…are you a transfer student? I can't say that I've seen you around campus before," the orange-head said.

The young woman shook her head. "Nah, I just had a free day from work and decided to see if I could sit in during a lecture and learn anything worth my time."

"Where do you work?"

"Why do you ask?" she grinned cheekily. "Do you plan on coming by to stare at me through the window?"

Ichigo's forehead slammed into the table, and Yoruichi fell into another series of howling cackles. "Ah, I'm just busting your balls man! I work at a laundromat a few blocks down the street from campus."

Raising his head to finally take a bite from his sandwich, Ichigo regarded her curiously. "You don't really strike me as the kind of person who would work somewhere like that…"

The dark-skinned woman merely shrugged. "Eh, its surprisingly quiet for most of the day, and the payment is good enough."

Nodding in acceptance, Ichigo took another bite of his sandwich before sipping from his can of soda. An oddly comfortable silence washed over the table's occupants, with one chomping away at her stolen apple and the other steadily taking bites out of the remainder of his meal.

It was Yoruichi who finally spoke up again. "So, where do you live?"

The orange-head raised an eyebrow. "Now who's the one asking the weirdly personal questions?"

"Oh, shut up you."

Chuckling, Ichigo leaned back in his seat. "I live in an apartment complex not too far away from the main campus. It's cramped, noisy, and annoying as hell to deal with, but it's been home ever since dad decided to kick me out of the house."

Yoruichi balked. "Your dad kicked you out?!"

"Well not literally," he assured her. "He basically told me to stop being a lazy bump on a log and actually do something with my life. He and my sisters live in a small town not too far outside of Tokyo."

"No mom?" the violet-haired woman questioned curiously.

Ichigo winced. "No…she was murdered when I was eight…"

"Shit…I'm sorry…"

He waved her concern off easily enough. "Eh, don't be. There was no way you could have known. Besides, it happened a long time ago, and I've learned to accept it."

Taking a final bite out of her apple, Yoruichi pitched it into a nearby trash can. "Still though, at least you got to keep your parents long enough to remember their faces. Mine croaked when I was only a little kid, and since then I've been pitched around from family member to family member."

Shifting awkwardly at the extremely personal story, Ichigo gave his new friend a cautious look. "Are you sure you're okay with telling me something like that…?"

She shrugged, and offered him a sly grin. "Honestly, I probably shouldn't be…but you're weirdly easy to talk to."

He chuckled lightly at that. "Gee, I don't know whether to feel grateful or insulted…"

She snorted and punched him in the arm. "Just take the compliment dumbass."

Silence fell once more, and the two new friends merely sat quietly in one another's company for several long minutes, before finally Yoruichi stood up and reached down to offer him a hand. "Come on, let's go."

Ichigo raised a brow in confusion. "Go? Go where? I still have two more classes."

The violet-haired woman rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Oh, boo-hoo. You look like the kind of guy who does extra credit even when he doesn't need it, so I'm sure you'll make up the time just fine. Now get off your ass, we're going out on the town."

Letting out a startled shout as he was hauled to his feet and dragged away against his will, Ichigo attempted to ignore the various stares and whispers that were being directed their way by the rest of the student body in the area. "W-Wait, do you have any idea where we're even going?"

Yoruichi smirked. "Nope. But that's what makes it fun!"

Allowing himself to be led off of the University campus, Ichigo eventually convinced his friend to let him go and simply allow him to follow her on his own energy. They walked God knew how many hours, and in that time, she led him through multiple fast food stands, video game arcades, and other things that he couldn't even begin to know how to describe.

And against his better judgement, he actually had a good time.

Yoruichi was surprisingly easy to talk to, and she simply had the kind of personality that made communication easy. She was free-spirited, fun-loving, and extremely energetic. She was also an incredible tease, and more than once during their excursion he was forced to clear up several misunderstandings regarding their relationship status.

And then it happened.

They had once again stumbled into an arcade, and while they were walking around through the various game stalls, Yoruichi had honed in on the bane of every young man's wallet. The dreaded claw machine…

She made several very valiant efforts on her own to procure an anime-style black cat plushie, but no matter how many coins she put into the machine, and no matter how many times she accused the claw of fornicating with its own mother, the damn little plushie absolutely refused to be caught. And then, just when Ichigo thought they were finally going to be able to move along, she had turned to him with wide, soulful eyes and a quivering lower lip.

The young man had of course crumbled to her will almost immediately.

Putting yet another coin into the damn machine, Ichigo focused intensely on the plush kitty that seemed to be silently mocking him. The claw slowly moved to hover over the toy, and with Yoruichi practically vibrating in place next to him, the orange-head carefully moved the claw down in an attempt to finally grab their desired prize.

Incredibly enough, the claw's arms hooked under those of the plush kitty, and slowly but surely, the toy was lifted into the air. Both man and woman held their breath as it was carried over to the delivery bin, and when it was finally successfully dropped into the hatch, Yoruichi squealed like a schoolgirl and flung her arms around her companion. Ichigo himself felt as if he'd just diffused the world's most deadly bomb.

Crouching down, he pulled the kitty from the machine and offered it to his smiling friend, who took it and cuddled it against her chest like a baby. "Thanks Berry Boy, I just have a thing for black cats."

"Yeah," he snorted. "Don't mention it. Please. Ever again."

Laughing, Yoruichi reached down to clutch his hand, before pulling him out of the arcade and to their next destination. As for Ichigo himself, all he could do was stare dumbly at their intertwined fingers.

* * *

The rest of the day went…amazingly.

They had fun, ate delicious food, played even more games, and enjoyed each other's company. It felt as if they'd known each other for years instead of only a few hours.

Eventually, the sun began to sink below the horizon, and Ichigo and Yoruichi made their way back to where their adventure had begun.

"So, do you want me to walk you to your apartment?" the orange-head asked politely.

Yoruichi snorted. "I doubt we'd be able to walk there before morning. I live a pretty long way from here."

Ichigo frowned and looked at his watch.

 _11:13 p.m._

"It's a little late to be riding the train alone," he said, concern tinting his voice.

She grinned coyly. "Aw, is my shining knight worried for my safety? Don't worry your colorful little head Berry Boy; I'm a big girl, I can handle a little bit of darkness and loneliness."

"Or you could spend the night at my place…" Ichigo offered.

Yoruichi suddenly froze, and the orange-head had to jerk slightly to keep pace with her.

"You…you don't need to do that…" she said in an oddly soft voice.

Ichigo shook his head. "It wouldn't feel right to make you take the train all the way across the city when its nearly midnight. You can stay the night at my place, and then you can go back home tomorrow morning."

The violet-haired woman remained silent for several long minutes before finally nodding in acceptance. "Alright…" she conceded quietly.

Frowning at her uncharacteristic timidity, Ichigo gently took her hand and continued to lead her down the street towards his apartment complex. Most of the building's tenants were already fast asleep, so the duo didn't draw too much attention. The only living thing that acknowledged their arrival was a small dog, which barked frantically at Yoruichi.

"That's weird," Ichigo mused as he turned his key in the lock. "Komamura has never barked at anyone like that before…"

His companion merely shrugged, but once he had his back turned, she hissed at the dog, sending it scampering away.

Once they entered the apartment, Ichigo waved around widely. "Well, like I said; it's not much, but it's home…"

Yoruichi could only look around the cramped living quarters in a small degree of shock. When her new friend had said his apartment was small, she didn't think he meant it'd be _this_ small. The tiny space was comprised of a single living room, which housed a plush comfortable looking chair and a television, along with a small couch. She could see a closed door further down the tiny hallway, which she assumed was the only bedroom. A bathroom was situated on the side of the hall, and Ichigo himself was is the cramped kitchen, digging through the cabinets.

"This isn't a home, Berry Boy…"

He turned around and frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Do you love it here?" she asked.

"I think the answer to that should be fairly obvious…"

She smiled and shook her head gently. "Then this isn't a home; it's just a house. A home is where you spend your time with the people and things you love."

Ichigo's eyes widened slightly. "Wow, I never took you to be the deep and philosophical type."

She snorted. "Did you seriously just call me dumb?"

"Hey, you said it not me."

She laughed, and he couldn't help but grin along as he finally found what he was looking for. Pulling out two cups of instant ramen from the cabinet, he set them on counter and set about boiling some water.

"What are you doing over there?" Yoruichi mused curiously.

"Making dinner," he replied.

"Mmm, how romantic," she chuckled. "Cramped quarters and convenience store noodles. You'll really have to try hard to top this on the second date."

Ichigo froze. "T-The what?"

Yoruichi simply smirked at his apparent loss of brain function. "Well, what did you think we were doing all day?"

"Hanging out?" he choked questionably.

The violet-haired beauty shook her head and smiled in obvious amusement. "Ichigo, you escorted a young woman all around town and showed her a better time than she's had in a very long while. You bought me food, held my hand, and won me a prize." She emphasized her last point by holding up her black cat plushie. "I don't know about you, but that's what I call a date. And you even brought me back to your apartment, as cramped as it is, to feed me and keep me from going home all by myself."

Ichigo turned nearly as red as his namesake. "Well, when you put it that way…"

Laughing musically, Yoruichi swiftly closed the distance between the door and the kitchenette and gently wrapped her arms around the young man's shoulders. "You're either the single densest person I have ever met, or you're just dumb enough to not know when a girl is sending you signals," she teased, but her playfulness turned into slight concern when Ichigo failed to react.

"Why me?" he asked, and the obvious disbelief in his tone slightly broke her heart.

"Why not?" she replied. "You're sweet, you're chivalrous, and you know how to show a girl a good time. I've known a lot of jerks over the years who were only ever after one thing, but you blushed like a maniac when all we did was hold hands."

"Yeah well, I haven't had a lot of experience with this kind of thing," the orange-head admitted.

"Oh, so I'm your first then?" she grinned slyly, and laughed when his blush darkened even more. "Seriously though, I'll admit that the original reason I wanted to hang out with you was just to kill some time. But you've intrigued me, and I want to see where this goes."

"So, this whole decision of yours was just based on a whim?" Ichigo asked.

"Isn't everything?" Yoruichi retorted. "Look, I have no idea whether or not this thing will last. We might break up in a week, a month, or even a year. On the other hand, though, we might end up spending the rest our lives together. It could end in catastrophic failure, or it could become something beautiful, but we'll never know unless we _try._ And I don't know about you, but I _want_ to try…"

Ichigo remained silent for several long minutes, before finally he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her waist. "Sounds good to me…girlfriend," he grinned.

"I'm glad you finally decided to see reason, boyfriend," she teased back, sticking out her tongue. Letting go of her new partner, the violet-haired beauty gently pulled herself out of the orange-head's arms and backpedaled to the couch. "Now then, be a dear and finish up with those noodles. Mamas gonna find something to watch while we eat."

Laughing in spite of himself, Ichigo poured the warm water into the cups of ramen while Yoruichi turned on the television and began flipping through the available channels. He had begun the day in a panic, but now he actually had his first girlfriend, and she was a girl who he had only met a few hours earlier. Funny how the world worked sometimes.

Once the noodles had cooled, he carefully carried them over to the couch, where his guest appeared to have finally settled on a single channel. Ichigo idly noticed that it was an old cheesy romance flick that his mother used to love. Sitting down next to his girlfriend, and wasn't that a mind-boggling thing to say, he handed her one of the cups, which she accepted gratefully.

Leaning back against the plush material of the sofa, and feeling Yoruichi cuddle up against his side with her black cat toy still held snuggly in her arms, Ichigo offered his thanks before digging into the steaming meal.

The new young couple spent several minutes in peaceful silence, content with simply being in one another's company. After a while though, Yoruichi sat up straight and fixed him with a curious look. "Say, this place _is_ pretty cramped…what do you wanna do about sleeping arrangements?"

Ichigo froze mid-bite.

* * *

Sunlight streamed in through the window, and the curtains swayed gently in the breeze.

Blearily opening his eyes, Ichigo quickly became aware of a distinct lack of warmth in his tiny little bed. Feeling around, he realized that this was due to the fact that his late-night guest was no longer there.

Rising with a groan, the orange-head saw that there was still an indentation where her body had been, which meant that she had left not too long ago. Her peculiar aroma of catnip mixed with lavender still filled the air.

Looking around, he quickly noticed a sticky note stuck to the wall near her side of the bed. Reaching out to remove it, he brought it closer for inspection.

' _Hey baby. Sorry I couldn't stay, but I had to go into work. One of my dumbass coworkers decided to go into labor this morning, so I had to cover her shift. I'll see ya after school._

 _-XOXO, Yoruichi. P.S. I didn't know that you were a cuddler… 0w0.'_

Grinning, Ichigo placed the note on his nightstand. Oddly enough, his new girlfriend's crass and blunt nature was actually kind of endearing. Looking over at the clock on his wall, he was relieved to see that he still had well over an hour and a half before his first class actually started.

That meant he had some time for a nice relaxing cup of coffee.

After scrambling some eggs and brewing his preferred brand of coffee, the orange-head settled down in his only chair and turned on the television to watch the early morning news.

" _Good morning Tokyo, this is Shinji Fukaroda with your Tuesday morning broadcast. Early this morning around 2:35 a.m, several reports were sent into our station by at least three civilians, who each claimed to have seen a large, unidentified animal prowling along the rooftops of several buildings. Police and Animal Control officials are currently investigating these alleged sightings, and zoological officials have been consulted to help identify the animal in question. Based on the reports we received, the creature was far too large to be a dog, and there are no known local species of wildlife that even come close to matching the culprit's description. The representatives from the Edogawa Ward Natural Zoo are currently investigating the possibility of an escaped predator. They have advised all civilians in the area to travel in groups until the case has been resolved."_

Ichigo raised a brow. It sounded like people were blowing this thing way out of proportion. There were plenty of late-night druggies and alcoholics who roamed the desolate streets during the darkest hours of the night, and one of them had most likely been either high or drunk off their ass and mistaken a big dog for some kind of a wild animal.

Shrugging it off, he continued eating his breakfast while the news report moved on to more domestic topics.

After about twenty minutes of relaxation, the orange-head finally began to prepare for the rest of the day. The walk from his apartment to the University Campus was thankfully less hectic than it had been the previous day, and he managed to arrive at his first class in a very timely manner. Slipping into his usual seat, Ichigo pulled out his required materials and set them on his desk.

The seat next to him suddenly jostled, and he looked over to see one of his closest friends giving him a wide smile.

"Good morning Ichigo!"

"Hey Nel," he replied in a much more subdued fashion.

The green-haired girl frowned at his lack of enthusiasm and poked him accusingly in the arm. "So, Mister, are you gonna tell me where you were during Algebra yesterday? Professor Unohana was really worried about you, and so was I. You _never_ miss class!"

Sighing, the orange-head propped his chin in his open palm and rested his elbow on the desk. "I was…busy."

Nel gave him an extremely flat look. "What's her name?"

"H-Huh?"

"Oh, don't give me that Ichigo," she said, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "The only thing that could keep a good student like you out of class is a bad girl. So, I'll ask again. What's her name?"

Letting out another sigh, he decided to simply relinquish the information she wanted. Nel was exceptionally famous for almost always getting her way in the end anyway. "Her name is Yoruichi. There, are you happy now?"

The green-haired young woman frowned. "Yoruichi? Is she a student here?"

Ichigo shook his head. "No, I don't think she goes to school. She works most of the time, so I doubt she has the time between her job and her personal life to sign up for a full semester of college."

"Wait, you don't think? When did you meet this girl?"

"Yesterday."

" _YESTERDAY?!"_ Nel screeched at the top of her lungs, drawing the attention of almost everyone in the classroom. Ichigo winced and made to placate her, but his friend was already on a roll. "You barely know anything about her, but you're already dating her?! Are you an idiot?!"

The orange-head frowned and firmly pushed her back down into her seat. "Isn't that the point of dating someone? To get to know them better before actually deciding if you want to permanently be with them? Besides, we both like each other, and we want to see what comes of this. There's no harm in that."

Letting out an annoyed huff, Nel folded her arms over her chest. "Fine, I suppose you have a point. But I still think you're rushing into this whole thing way too quickly."

Ichigo snorted. "Duly noted."

Rolling her eyes, the green-haired young woman turned her attention back to the front of the room, where their professor was beginning the lecture. However, after a moment, Nel turned her nose upward and sniffed the air. Turning to Ichigo once again, she fixed him with a peculiar look. "When did you get a cat?"

The young man in question frowned in confusion. "Um…never. I don't have a cat."

Nel continued to look at him for several more moments before eventually shrugging and facing forward once again. "Well, you sure do smell like one."

* * *

The rest of the day went by as if it were a blur.

Ichigo was easily able to focus on his assignments, and he also quickly made up everything that he had missed the previous day. However, his thoughts were mostly occupied by a certain golden-eyed beauty.

As cheesy and unbelievable as it might have sounded, he honestly felt a special connection with Yoruichi, and he couldn't even begin to come up with the words to describe it. It felt like something out of a dream. But if this was a dream, then it was one that he never wanted to wake up from.

When his final class of the day ended, Ichigo packed up his books and shouldered his backpack. After exiting the building his class was located in, he made his way to the University's main gates, where he was honestly surprised to see the object of his thoughts waiting for him with two cans of vending machine brand tea.

"Hey stud," Yoruichi grinned, tossing him one of the drinks, which he easily caught with one hand.

"Hey yourself," he smirked back. His girlfriend's grin widened even more, and she quickly stepped forward to wrap her arms around his neck, while his own instinctively came to settle around her waist.

It was almost hilarious how much taller than her he was, even if she still came up to a bit over his shoulder. She was still forced to stand up on the tips of her toes to accomplish her goal, and Ichigo let out a muffled sound of surprise when she gently melded her lips with his own.

When she pulled away, the poor young man could only gape like a fish out of water. "What…what was that for?"

She laughed. "That was to make it official, doofus. Besides, I forgot to give you one before I left this morning."

Ichigo attempted to respond, but no sound emerged when he opened his mouth.

Yoruichi laughed even harder, and patted his cheek affectionately. "Let me guess; your first kiss too?"

The orange-head could only nod.

Tightening her hold on her boyfriend, the violet-haired beauty pulled herself up so that her mouth was level with his ear. "Maybe in the future, I'll be another one of your firsts…"

Ichigo turned so red that he looked fit to spontaneously combust. Deciding to take pity on the poor boy, Yoruichi gave him a final kiss on the cheek and pulled away, taking his hand in one of her own. "Come on baby, there's something I want to show you."

Ichigo could only nod dumbly. Truly, a woman's charm was one of the most powerful forces on the face of the planet…

Instead of going to the entertainment district like they had the previous day, this time Yoruichi led her still shell-shocked partner to a rather large park. Trees dotted the landscape, and a vast rolling field occupied the center of the area.

Coming to a stop underneath a cherry blossom tree, the young couple laid on the grassy ground and stared up at the sky.

"This is my favorite place in the whole city," Yoruichi said wistfully. "Whenever I'm sad, or whenever I need to go somewhere to think, I always come and sit under this tree."

"Why is that?" Ichigo asked, having finally recovered from his stupor.

His girlfriend shrugged. "I don't really know, but I've always felt more at home when I'm surrounded by nature. When I was a little girl, I promised myself that I would go out to the country to live at the base of a towering mountain. Even if I had to build myself a home from scratch with nothing but my own two hands, I swore that would be my ultimate dream."

The orange-head felt a new sense of admiration well up in his chest for the woman lying next to him. "Wow…its impressive that you had that specific of a goal when you were only a kid."

Yoruichi smiled in appreciation and turned over onto her side to properly face him. "What about you Berry Boy? What's your goal in life?"

Continuing to gaze up at the endlessly blue sky, Ichigo actually had to take a moment to think before answering. "Honestly…I don't really know. I guess I always imagined that I'd live my life like everyone else does. Get a good education, find a well-paying job, get married, and maybe raise a couple of kids when I'm ready."

The golden-eyed woman smiled softly. "That's the problem with the world today; people can't see the magic in their lives anymore. They tell themselves that they're okay with just settling for whatever comes their way, but in reality, they could do so much more. Truth be told, a potential adventure could be waiting just around the corner."

Ichigo grinned. "Is this what this thing between us is? The beginning of a new adventure?"

Yoruichi laughed musically. "Who knows? It very well could be."

The young couple shared another laugh and fell back into a comfortable silence as fhey watched the clouds roll by. The chirping of various birds echoed all around them, and several blossoms from the tree above gently blew through the wind. As cliché as it might have sounded, Ichigo could honestly never remember having felt such a moment of utter serenity before.

"You know," he spoke up softly. "Learning how to build a house could be fun…"

He felt his girlfriend tense up beside him, and she slowly lifted herself up to look at him again. "Do you really mean that?" she asked quietly.

Ichigo merely shrugged and offered her a grin. "You're right. People settle too much for what falls in their laps instead of pursuing what makes them happy. You can obviously see the magic in life, and I want you to teach me how to do the same. And maybe, years from now, if everything works out, I'll help you build that house in the countryside."

The orange-head was _not_ prepared when his girlfriend all but flung herself on top of him and began to pepper his face with kisses. He laughed at her enthusiasm, but grew worried when he felt drops of moisture fall onto his cheeks. Looking up, his brow furrowed when he saw tears forming in her eyes.

"Hey now," he soothed. "What's with the tears?"

Yoruichi simply let out a laugh and shook her head, reaching up to wipe her eyes. "It's just…I don't think you realize how much what you just said means to me. All my life, my guardians have told me to grow up and act like a proper lady. Hearing someone actually tell me that my dream sounds beautiful, well…it's actually a bit overwhelming."

Chuckling along with her, Ichigo raised a hand to wipe a thumb across her cheek. "Yeah well, don't let those assholes get you down. If they ever tell you to give up on your dream again, just point me in their direction and I'll shut them up."

Giggling like a schoolgirl, the dark-skinned woman pulled her boyfriend to the side, and their combined momentum sent them tumbling down the hill in a tangle of limbs and laughter.

They completely ignored the other people in the park as they finally rolled to a stop, and Yoruichi leaned down once more to capture Ichigo's lips in a searing kiss.

Several nearby children made disgusted faces at the blatant show of public affection.

An elderly couple sitting on a nearby bench simply smiled warmly at the sight of such young lovers.

As for the couple themselves, they might as well have been on another planet, for the only things that they could focus on was one other.

* * *

 **I am fully aware that Ichigo and Yoruichi's relationship might seem like it is moving too fast, but let it be known that there** _ **is**_ **such a thing in the world as true love. It is rare, but sometimes two people feel an unexplainable connection with one another.**

 **People cannot decide who they fall in love with, nor when it happens. It might take weeks, months, years, or even something as simple as a single day. I know people who met one day, and were going out the very next. And I can assure you that they are** _ **very**_ **happily married at this current point in time.**

 **To be fair though, Ichigo and Yoruichi aren't fully in love at this point; they are simply seeing how their relationship will pan out. That being said, they do feel a special connection with each other that neither of them can explain.**

 **And just to avoid any possible confusion in the future, Ichigo is twenty-one and Yoruichi is twenty-three.**

 **As I stated in the beginning Author's Notes, this is a completely AU story, and as such there is no Soul Society, Wandenreich, or Hueco Mundo. Several familiar faces might pop up here and there, but for the most part I will be focusing on Ichigo and Yoruichi.**

 **Even so, there will be some minor supernatural elements, but they won't be extremely grand.**

 **And like I said earlier, if you think that this is going to turn out to be another typical romance story, then I encourage you to actually stick with it and see what happens.**

 **Reviews are always appreciated, and I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter.**

 **AlucardsBro OUT!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Beginning of a New Adventure

* * *

 **Like I said in the last chapter, I am going to try and publish at least two or three chapters for this story in quick succession before returning to my others.**

 **I don't really think that there is anything else that I need to say, so if I think of anything, I'll write it out in the Author's Note at the end of the chapter.**

 **I hope everyone enjoys the second chapter!**

 **AlucardsBro OUT!**

* * *

"Thank you for your business, we'll have your order ready for pickup on Monday by two o'clock."

Smiling pleasantly as the customer exited the laundromat, Yoruichi let her cheerful facade melt into annoyance as soon as the middle-aged bitch was out of sight. Without a doubt, the worst part of working in customer service was the fact that she had to remain friendly and polite to everyone who walked through the door. It didn't matter if they treated her like dirt; she was expected to treat them like nothing less than royalty.

Letting out a sigh and reaching up to massage her temples, a small smile delicately stretched across her face as her mind drifted to the one good thing in her life.

Ichigo…

It had been nearly a month and a half since the day she had caught him staring at her in the lecture hall. And she could honestly say that the time they spent together was without a doubt some of the best moments of her life.

The split-second decision she'd made to go out with him was one of the few that she didn't regret in the slightest.

They'd even started talking about buying a bigger apartment together…

At the moment, they both lived separately in their own tiny accommodations, but what with the money she'd been saving since her parents passed away, and the income Ichigo had been earning ever since he'd taken a job at a nearby café, they nearly had enough between them to afford a much-needed improvement in sleeping quarters.

"Shihouin, you can take your lunch break now," her manager's voice came from the back of the store.

"Thanks!" she replied cheerily, and slid off her uniform apron before heading towards the exit. There was an absolutely adorable little seafood stand that she'd been meaning to try a little further down the street.

Walking through the door, she barely made it two feet down the sidewalk before a pair of masculine arms slid around her waist and lifted her into the air.

"Guess who."

Despite the fact that his voice was a dead giveaway, Yoruichi laughed and decided to play along. "Hmmm, let's see…who could ever have me captured in their grasp?"

"Probably someone who is unbelievably handsome."

She laughed again and drummed her fingers against his arm in mock-thought. "Well, that's obviously a given. I give up. What dastardly fiend has captured this fair maiden in his unyielding clutches?"

She felt herself being lowered to the ground, and once her feet touched the pavement, she spun around and met her boyfriend's chocolate-brown eyes with her own golden orbs. Pushing herself up on the tips of her toes, she wove her arms around his neck and leaned in for a slow kiss, which he _gladly_ returned.

Ichigo had become _much_ more comfortable with displaying his affection for her over the course of their relationship.

Shivering slightly when the orange-head nipped gently on her lower lip, Yoruichi reluctantly pulled herself away to meet his gaze. "So, what brings you down to this neck of the woods, Berry Boy?"

The fact that he no longer reacted in the slightest to her little pet name spoke volumes about their closeness.

"Well," he chuckled. "I have about an hour until my next class starts, and I decided to spend that time with my most favorite person on the planet. And, being the amazing boyfriend that I am, I knew that you get off for lunch around this time, so here I am."

Smiling at his playfulness, Yoruichi reached down to intertwine their fingers. "Well, it's a good thing you showed up when you did; there is a new seafood place that opened up a few weeks ago, and even though I was gonna go check it out anyway, I think I'd enjoy it much more if you went with me."

Ichigo returned her smile with one of his own, and gently began to sway their interlocked hands back and forth. "Well then, lead the way M'Lady."

Laughing, the violet-haired young woman began pulling her orange-haired partner along in the direction of their destination.

For the first few weeks after their relationship had begun, she had been confident that she'd made the right call in asking him out. They had become incredibly close during that period of time, and they relished in one another's company. It didn't matter if they were watching television, lying under the cherry blossom tree in the park, or simply silently sharing a meal together.

However, after nearly a month had passed, Yoruichi had felt something like she never had before begin to build up in her chest. She hadn't realized it at the time, but now she was fully aware of what it was.

It grew in intensity whenever she was around Ichigo, and even reared its head when all she did was think about him when they were apart.

There was no denying it now…

She was in love.

Unbridled, unconditional love.

And based on how Ichigo acted, and in the way he looked at her, she knew that he felt the same way. That was how much they trusted in one another. They didn't even have to say those three words to know what they felt for each other.

It was incredible. She'd always spoken of magic, even well into her adulthood, but now she absolutely believed that it existed. How else could one explain they joy that they felt in one another's presence?

She was happier than she'd ever been. Her orange-haired shining knight treated her like the most precious thing in the world. That wasn't to say that he coddled or smothered her; quite the opposite in fact. He knew that she could very well kick ass better than he, and he respected her both as a woman and a person. But his actions still spoke for how much he cared about her.

Maybe that was why she felt so guilty about hiding herself from him…

' _Come on girl,'_ she mentally chided herself. _'You owe him the truth. Even if he rejects you, you'll feel satisfied with the fact that you revealed yourself to him. He's special after all.'_

Yoruichi's internal debate allowed some confidence and determination to finally enter her heart, but after taking one sideways glance at his face, those emotions were crushed into dust.

' _But, I don't want him to leave me…I love him.'_

' _Then you OWE him the truth.'_

' _I KNOW! But…'_

She cast another subtle look at his smiling face.

' _I don't want to lose him too…'_

"Is that the place you were talking about?" Ichigo asked with a grin, gesturing to the quaint little seafood stand a little further down the block. He turned to look at her when she didn't answer, and grew concerned at the troubled look on her face. "Hey, Yoruichi."

"H-Huh?" she stuttered, as if coming out of a trance.

Ichigo frowned and squeezed her hand lightly. "You okay?"

The dark-skinned young woman's smile returned in earnest. "I'm fine, just thinking is all."

"If you say so," the orange-head relented, not for a minute fully believing her excuse. Over the month and a half that they'd been together, he'd become quite accustomed to getting a near-accurate read on her emotional states. And now, she was most definitely conflicted.

Seemingly wanting to change the subject, Yoruichi's eyes lit up when she finally noticed the restaurant. Fixing her boyfriend with a beatific smile, she eagerly pulled him along. "Hurry up slowpoke! I'm starving!"

As he was pulled through the doors and up to the counter, Ichigo still couldn't help but feel like there was something upsetting his partner. But, if she didn't deem it important enough at the moment to voice her concerns, then he would let it go for the time being.

* * *

After lunch, which had been absolutely delicious, Ichigo had walked Yoruichi back to her workplace before returning to the University campus for the remainder of his classes.

The spring semester was now in full swing, and students were already buzzing with excitement at the prospect of summer vacation. Ichigo himself was looking forward to it, but it was still several months away, so he didn't see the need to obsess over it.

Maybe he'd finally take Yoruichi to meet his dad and sisters…

He hadn't even told them that he was dating anyone yet, but then again that wasn't really any of their business. Even if Karin and Yuzu would only react with surprise for the first few hours, there was no doubt that his Old Man would run around the entirety of Karakura Town and announce his son's relationship status to all of its inhabitants.

And _that_ was something that Ichigo could most definitely live without.

Still, he should probably tell them sooner rather than later, but he wanted Yoruichi to be there with him when he did so.

Glancing out the classroom window, his brown eyes followed a single leaf as it fell from the branch of a maple tree and gently floated down to the ground. Thinking back to that first day that they'd spent lying under the cherry blossom tree, he couldn't help but smile at the memory.

His girlfriend's dream truly was a remarkable one.

Most young women that he knew simply talked about marrying some big shot and raising their kids in the suburbs of some metropolitan city.

Not Yoruichi.

The both of them had actually drawn up plans for her dream home in their spare time, and although it had only been for fun, his heart still hammered at the very idea. Settling down. Building a house. Marriage. Raising kids.

A little over a month ago, if someone had asked Ichigo what his thoughts on family life were, he would have told them to shut up and listen to the lecture. But now, after his talk with Yoruichi, he was surprised to find himself honestly giving it some serious thought.

He still most definitely planned on finishing college before even considering starting a family, but maybe, if things panned out like he hoped, sometime within the next few years or so they could actually make her dream a reality.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the orange-haired young man attempted to tune back into the class. He only had a little over thirty-two minutes before the period ended, and _then_ he could allow his thoughts to drift to the woman he loved. Until that time, however, he would focus on learning as much as he could.

* * *

She was sure that her pacing was wearing a trench into the grass…

After their short little lunch date, and after Ichigo had walked her back to work, Yoruichi's mind had been clouded by doubt and unease all throughout the rest of her shift.

She attempted to bury her guilt in the deepest recesses of her mind, but the idea that doing so caused her to be dishonest with the man she loved only caused them to resurface with a vengeance.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, the violet-haired woman leaned back against the trunk of her favorite tree and slowly slid to the ground. "Damn it, what am I going to do…?"

She already knew the answer to that question, but a large part of her was absolutely terrified to accept it. Her secret was not one to be taken lightly, but she knew that she owed it to Ichigo to be completely honest with him. Even if he rejected her, she knew that she would feel better about the whole thing if she simply told him the truth. Even if it ended up breaking her heart…

Folding her arms and resting them across her knees, she rested her chin on her arms and looked out across the park. From her vantage point, she could see various couples holding one another in loving embraces. Some of them looked older than time itself, while some looked like they were barely out of high school.

She even saw a few pushing baby strollers.

 _That_ particular train of thought made her heart lurch in a mixture of fear and excitement.

Would she even be a good mother when the time came? Would Ichigo end up being the father? She certainly hoped so. But, if that were to ever happen, then she _needed_ to be upfront with him completely.

Casting a glance to the side, she noticed a flower gently swaying in the breeze.

Reaching out to pick it, she gently brought it up to her face for closer inspection. She had no idea what species it was, but it was most certainly one of the most beautiful flowers she had ever seen. The petals were a dark shade of purple, but their very edges were trimmed with a bright orange.

Wait…

"Oh come on!" Yoruichi groaned. "So, I guess nature itself is deciding to screw with me now?"

Resting the back of her head against the trunk of the tree, the violet-haired woman glared balefully at the flower in her hand. Letting out a sigh, she picked off one of its petals.

"I tell him."

She picked another.

"I tell him not…"

She picked again.

"I tell him."

And again.

"I tell him not."

This went on for about half a minute, until finally she reached the last petal remaining on the flower. She expected fear to once again rear its ugly head, but in its place, she surprisingly felt nothing but contentment. Sure, a little nervousness was there, but it was vastly overshadowed by the determination that was finally staking its claim on her heart.

With a shaky hand, she reached up and plucked the final petal off of the flower.

"I tell him."

There was no quiver in her tone, only conviction. With a wide smile on her face, she reached into her back pocket and withdrew her phone. Shuffling to Ichigo's contact information, she quickly sent him a text.

 _What are you doing later? -Y._

Her phone buzzed not even twenty seconds later, alerting her to his reply.

 _Not much. I'm picking up a few things at the supermarket right now. I'm almost out of coffee and ramen. Why, do you want me to pick something up for you? -I._

She chuckled and shook her head. Despite his sweetness, her boyfriend could be denser than concrete at times.

 _Actually, that's not what I wanted to talk about, but I could use some more tuna. -Y._

Her phone buzzed again, and Yoruichi laughed loudly once she read his reply.

 _You and your damn fish. But anyway, what's up? -I._

 _Can you meet me under our tree tonight at midnight? -Y._

 _That late? Are you sure everything is okay? -I._

Her fingers hovered hesitantly over the screen for a moment, but the dark-skinned woman quickly sucked in a steadying breath and typed out her response.

 _Everything is fine. I just wanna talk to you alone. Promise me you'll be here? -Y._

 _I promise. Love you. -I._

She smiled at that.

 _Love you too, Berry Boy. -Y._

Letting out a sigh, she put her phone away and rested the back of her head against the cherry blossom tree. There, she'd done it. There was no backing out of it now.

Raising her hand to glance at her watch, she noticed that it was barely past seven-thirty.

That gave her only a little under four and a half hours to continue mentally preparing herself for their eventual discussion. And, although that would most likely be plenty of time for any ordinary person, her situation was remarkably…different…than anyone else's.

She just hoped that Ichigo would be understanding.

* * *

Ichigo adjusted his scarf and glanced down at his watch.

It was five minutes past midnight, and he was starting to get worried…

He'd arrived ten minutes earlier than Yoruichi had requested just in case she wanted to get whatever she wanted to talk about off her chest. However, it seemed as though whatever was troubling her was keeping her longer than she'd initially anticipated.

But, Yoruichi was big girl, and she could take care of herself just fine until she decided to finally approach him. He just wished it wasn't so damn cold.

Settling himself against the trunk of the tree, Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest and pulled his jacket tighter around his body. He hadn't seen so much as a soul since he'd entered the park, which wasn't all that surprising considering how late it was. Still though, it was kind of creepy to be sitting alone in an empty park that was usually filled to the brim with people.

The orange-head was broken from his internal musings when he felt someone sit down next to him. He didn't even have to look at her to know that it was Yoruichi; the distinctive purple hair that danced at the edge of his vision was enough of a clue.

"Hey baby," he smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her flush against his side.

She snuggled into him, and buried her face in the crook of his neck. "Hey," she mumbled against his collarbone.

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't voice any of his concerns. Resting his chin against the crown of her head, he breathed in her natural scent of lavender and catnip while gently rubbing soothing circles on her right arm. "So, you got anything on your mind?"

She nodded, but didn't reply.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" he asked.

Again, she nodded while remaining silent.

Not wanting to pressure her, Ichigo gently pulled her into his lap and moved his hand to her back, where he continued to rub soothing circles. They continued to stay that way for at least eight minutes, before finally Yoruichi raised her head and looked him in the eyes.

"Do you love me?" she asked in a shaky voice.

Blinking in surprise at the question, Ichigo reached forward to tilt her head to the side, and he gently kissed her on the lips. After nearly half a minute, they pulled apart, and both man and woman were left gasping for air.

"Does that answer your question?" he asked with a smile.

Her worry melted away, and she laughed hoarsely, almost as if she'd been crying before he arrived. Maneuvering herself out of his grasp, Yoruichi stood up before turning to offer him a hand. Hauling Ichigo to his feet with a surprising amount of strength, the violet-haired woman took a few steps backward and let out a shuddering breath.

"Do you remember that day when we sat under this tree, and I told you about the magic in the world?" She asked, a fond smile forming across her features.

The orange-head chuckled. "How could I forget it? It was the day I met you, after all."

Her smile softening, Yoruichi exhaled sharply and looked her boyfriend directly in the eye.

"Ichigo…close your eyes…"

"Why? Are you going to show me a card trick?" the young man quipped.

"Just do it," she pleaded, utter seriousness permeating her voice.

Surprised at his girlfriend's change in tone, Ichigo shrugged and did as he was asked. A few minutes of nothing but silence passed, and the orange-head attempted to peek at whatever she was doing.

"Keep them shut," Yoruichi chided him sternly.

Sighing, the young man snapped his eye closed once more. Again, several long minutes went by without either of them saying a single word, and despite the fact that he considered himself to be a rather patient and understanding individual, Ichigo couldn't help but begin to feel a little anxious.

"I'm gonna open them now," he announced. And so, he did.

And before his very eyes, as the moonlight shone down upon them, his girlfriend began to change.

What he could see of her fingernails started to sharpen, and her face contorted and elongated into a distinctly animalistic shape. Her skin darkened to a near midnight-black, and a thin layer of fur slowly sprouted everywhere he could see that wasn't hidden by her clothes. Her hair melded into the fur, and created a slightly longer purple mane. Her ears shifted from their typical spot to the top of her head, where they took an oh-so-obvious feline shape.

Ichigo's mouth opened, but no sound came out.

Standing in front of him, was a humanoid black panther.

"Look at me…" Yoruichi scoffed, and although her voice was a bit deeper, it was still easily recognizable. "What do you see?"

Closing his mouth, Ichigo continued to remain silent for a while. Slowly, he took a step forward. Yoruichi flinched away, and he slowly brought a hand under her chin to force her to look directly at him.

Warm brown burned into fiery gold, and the orange-head took a moment to inspect her facial features.

"I see you," he finally replied softly.

Yoruichi's mouth fell open, and she looked at him with trembling eyes. "Aren't you afraid?"

"I'm…definitely shocked," he stated honestly. "But I'm not scared. I might have been if you'd shown me when we first met, but after all this time, I feel confident in saying that I _know_ you. And I know that whoever, or whatever you are, you would never hurt me."

His girlfriend let out a choking sound before throwing her arms around him and pulling him into a kiss filled with unbridled passion. It was bit awkward considering she now had a muzzle, but nevertheless, Ichigo returned her affection as best he could.

After a while, they finally separated, and he rested his forehead against her own. "Even so," he grinned. "I hope you'll forgive me if I have questions."

Yoruichi laughed, which sounded adorably like a deep purr. "I would honestly be worried if you didn't," she replied, and her features slowly morphed back into those of an ordinary human. "My people, or at least what's left of them, are descended from panthers and jaguars. As far as I know, my bloodline is the only one that still has both human and feline blood flowing through our veins, and I myself am the last pure-blooded Shihouin in the family. Only I can change into my animal form, and I've never encountered anyone else in my life who is capable of doing the same."

Ichigo blinked. "That's actually really badass…"

She smiled and took his hand in her own. "You're taking all of this surprisingly well."

He shrugged. "Yeah well, this certainly explains all of the large animal sightings that I've heard about on the news. That _was_ you, wasn't it?"

The dark-skinned woman nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, it was. Sometimes I just feel the call of the wild, and nothing can stop me from prowling around."

"You don't like…eat dogs and cats, do you?"

Yoruichi scoffed and punched her boyfriend in the chest. Now that she no longer had to hide her enhanced strength, he actually let out a slight wheeze of pain. "No, I don't eat pets. Sometimes, birds and other small animals come into the city from the surrounding forests, so I hunt them instead."

Rubbing his sore chest, Ichigo chuckled and looked up at the sky. "You know…when you first told me about the magic in the world, I thought you meant something like being able to take joy in life. But this…this feels like something right out of a fairy tale."

Chuckling softly, Yoruichi stepped forward and leaned against the orange-head's more muscular frame. "Well, I don't know about you, but to me this certainly feels like the beginning of a happily ever after."

Wrapping his arms around her, Ichigo pressed a kiss against her forehead. He understood why she'd been so nervous about telling him her secret; who wouldn't be in this situation? Truth be told, despite the fact that his girlfriend was an extremely outgoing person, he'd never actually seen her interact with anyone besides himself, her coworkers, and her boss. The latter two couldn't really be helped though.

What must have it been like for her? To constantly shy away from forming attachments and making friends for the past twenty-three years, all in order to keep her secret?

"Were your parents the same?" he asked. He felt her nod against his chest.

"My father didn't have any siblings, and neither did my mother, so they were both the last two remaining people in their respective families who possessed the gift. But, against all odds, they somehow met and fell in love, and nine months later I was born."

"You don't have any siblings of your own?" Ichigo questioned.

"No. My parents were planning on having another child, but they were killed by hunters one day while out hunting food for me," she replied, letting out a shuddering breath. "Like you already know, after they died, social workers took custody of me for a while, before eventually I was passed on to some distant relatives who didn't even know about the secret of the Shihouin bloodline. After a while, they got tired of me, and passed me off to some other relatives. That continued for a while until I was old enough to get a driver's license, and since that day I went off on my own and never once looked back."

She then shuffled around a bit to look back up at him. "My mother and father always implored me to never reveal myself to anyone, and I was fully intent on keeping that promise. But then, I met you. You, who love me for who I am, not what I am. You, the damn fool who I could see myself spending the rest of my life with…"

They stared lovingly at one another for a few minutes in silence, completely content to do nothing but be in one another's company.

"Let's do it," Ichigo grinned.

Yoruichi frowned. "Do what?"

"Let's go apartment shopping tomorrow. Between the two of us, we have more than enough money. During summer break, I'll work another job to make up for the cash we spent. And then, after college, I'll keep working until we finally have enough to go build that house we've talked about so much."

The violet-haired woman's eyes widened, before they quickly began to water. Letting out a sound mixed somewhere between a laugh and a sob, she stood up on her toes to kiss the orange-headed fool she'd fallen in love with. "That sounds like a plan to me."

Smiling widely, Ichigo leaned down to wrap an arm under the back of her knees. He then proceeded to lift her into the air, much to the dark-skinned woman's delight. They shared another kiss, and he carried her all the way back to his apartment.

Even once they arrived, their passion didn't diminish in the slightest.

Fingers tangled in one another's hair, bodies were caressed, and clothes were cast aside carelessly.

Carrying Yoruichi to the bedroom, Ichigo gently sat her down on the bed before closing the door.

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the window, making shadows dance all across the room.

Slowly, Ichigo opened his eyes, and the first thing that gifted his sight was the most angelic vision he had ever seen.

Yoruichi was still sleeping peacefully, and her hair was splayed out all around her face like a violet halo. Smiling, he leaned forward to kiss the tip of her nose. Her face scrunched up slightly, and not too long after, her own golden eyes opened to stare sleepily into his own.

"Good morning," the orange-head grinned.

"Mmmm…last night was even better," she replied cheekily, before sitting up to give him a proper good morning kiss.

He chuckled. She was right of course. The passion that they'd shared in this very bed; the utter love for one another that they'd displayed…it had been the most incredible thing he'd ever experienced.

And, given how vocal his girlfriend had been, he was pretty confident in suggesting that she felt the same way.

His attention was drawn to the object of his thoughts when she let out a yawn and stretched her arms above her head. This action, of course, had the effect of pushing forward her already very prominent breasts. Not too long ago, Ichigo would have overreacted at the sight and tumbled out of the bed in an undignified heap. Now though, all he could do was stare in awe at Yoruichi's inhuman beauty.

Well, now that he knew her secret, the word 'inhuman' was most definitely fitting.

Even so, it didn't affect the way he felt about her. In fact, he felt as if they had grown even closer since last night, considering he was the only living person on the planet who she felt comfortable revealing her true nature to.

His internal thoughts were interrupted when his girlfriend rose from the bed, not caring in the slightest that she was as naked as she day she was born. "You don't mind if I go ahead and start a pot of coffee, do you?" she asked, turning to him.

"Not at all. I'll be there in a minute," he replied, and she offered him a smile before disappearing into the rest of the tiny apartment.

Arching his back until he heard a satisfying 'pop,' Ichigo threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. It was a Saturday, so thankfully he didn't have to be at school. He also had today off from work, so that worked out even more in his favor.

Walking over to his dresser, he pulled open one of the drawers and withdrew a pair of light grey sweatpants. It was chilly enough that shorts were out of the question, but not so much that he felt he needed a heavier garment. Opening his closet, he pulled on a white tank top. After giving himself a once-over in his tiny mirror, he nodded and moved to join Yoruichi in the kitchen.

Upon entering the main space of his apartment, which was comprised of both the kitchen and living room, Ichigo froze dead in his tracks.

It seemed as though at some point his girlfriend had seen fit to partially clothe herself, for currently she wore one of his dark black t-shirts, which was quite obviously several sizes too big for her. There was just…something…about a woman wearing a man's clothes that made them undeniably sexy.

"Like what you see?" she quipped, not even needing to glance in his direction to know that he was staring at her.

The orange-head laughed as he was partially broken from his trance. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't," he replied, moving forward to stand next to her.

She leaned into him when he wrapped an arm around her, and he kissed the top of her head as they both watched the coffee pot begin to fill with the life-giving liquid. "So, what's on the agenda for today? Aside from apartment browsing, of course," Ichigo asked.

"Well, I don't have to work today, so we could honestly do whatever we want," she said. "Still though, if we want to look for a new apartment, we should probably do so a little after breakfast; we don't want to be out too late again."

They both simultaneously yawned, which elicited a laugh.

"See what I mean?" she chuckled. "Between the life-changing revelations and the mind-blowing sex, I think we both need to catch up on our beauty sleep."

Ichigo nuzzled into her hair. "You could stay awake for a thousand years and stay just as beautiful as you are now."

"Oh, hush you," Yoruichi grinned. "Don't start with those sweet words again, or we'll be confined to the bedroom all day long."

"I could live with that."

"So could I," she laughed, twisting around to kiss him on the chin. "But, we have things to do and places to be."

"Fair enough," Ichigo smirked, before pulling away from her to get started on actually making breakfast. Now that he knew why his girlfriend requested fish and rice so often, he didn't even bother thinking about cooking up something else.

He'd never wanted to bring it up before, but Yoruichi had a truly _insatiable_ appetite. She ate just about everything a normal person would, but she could pack away meat and seafood like nobody's business.

He supposed that came with the territory of being a carnivore.

Breakfast was eaten in relative silence, and after they finished and dressed in some more appropriate clothing, the young couple left the apartment complex hand in hand. There was a fancier housing building a few streets away, and Ichigo had been sensible enough to contact the manager to let him know that they'd be stopping by.

The elderly man was already waiting for them outside when they walked down the sidewalk.

"Mister Kurosaki, I presume?" he asked amiably, reaching out with a hand.

The orange-head smiled and returned the handshake. "Yes sir."

The man laughed. "None of that 'sir' stuff; call me Ojī."

Ichigo chuckled along as well. "Sure thing."

Nodding, Ojī turned his attention to Yoruichi. "And is this your lovely wife?"

"Not yet," the orange-head replied with a grin.

The dark-skinned woman smiled at the implication behind that response.

The elderly man laughed jovially once again. "Good for you two! If you ask me, there's something special about being young and in love that you don't see all too often these days. Now then, if you'll follow me, I'll show you some of my vacancies."

With Ojī leading the way, Ichigo and Yoruichi stepped into the building.

"Most of your neighbors are either old folks like me or singles who can't be bothered to go out and actually do something with their lives. That being said, it's still most likely better than what you're living in now," the elderly man said, approaching the first door on the third floor. "This spot doesn't have any previous occupants, so you won't have to worry about any mysterious stains or smells."

The door was opened, and the young couple stepped in to inspect the apartment. It was most definitely bigger than what either of them were used to, and there were actually two full-sized bedrooms. A bathroom was situated at the end of the hallway, which housed a pristine looking toilet, bathtub, showering station, and sink.

The living room itself was nearly as big as Ichigo's entire apartment put together, and a sliding door separated it from the kitchen. Another glass door led out to a small balcony, which overlooked the park in the distance.

"It's…a lot nicer than I even imagined," Yoruichi finally said.

Ojī nodded sagely. "Yeah well, I try to keep all of the empty ones as clean as I can. If you decide you want it, that responsibility will fall on you though."

"Of course," Ichigo nodded, before turning to his girlfriend. "So, what do you think?"

The violet-haired woman didn't respond right away, and instead took a moment to look back through the entire apartment. One of the bedrooms would obviously be for her and Ichigo to share, but what would they do with the other one?

Perhaps they would turn it into a closet or storage room?

The image of a crib against the far wall suddenly flashed through her mind, and Yoruichi felt her heart hammer in her chest.

Smiling beatifically, she turned back towards the waiting men and nodded.

Ichigo grinned back, before looking at Ojī. "We'll take it."

* * *

Moving in was a bit of a hassle.

Since neither of them owned a car, they'd been forced to rent out a moving service to help them relocate all of their belongings from both of their apartments into their new one. They still had plenty of money after the fact to sustain themselves, but Ichigo had acknowledged that he would have to pull a few extra shifts at work.

Yoruichi had tried to volunteer to do them same, but her boyfriend wouldn't hear of it.

She was a little annoyed, but she appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

At the moment, Ichigo was downstairs finalizing the terms of their contract, while Yoruichi herself set about decorating their new home. And she was able to call it as such due to the fact that she was sharing it with the man she loved.

A flowerpot was placed on the windowsill, and it contained the very same species of flower that had helped her decide whether or not to tell Ichigo the truth about herself. Nodding in satisfaction, the violet-haired woman moved over to one of the numerous large boxes sitting on the floor to continue unpacking.

She either folded their clothes or set them on hangers in the closet, while making sure to delegate one side or the other to their respective belongings. Various knick-knacks were placed on shelves and countertops, and the assortment of multiple other items were filed away where she felt they belonged.

Wiping off a tiny bit of sweat that had managed to gather on her brow, Yoruichi nodded satisfactorily. She heard the front door open, and turned to greet her housemate.

"I love what you've done with the place," Ichigo quipped, looking around the apartment appreciatively.

"Of course you do. Nothing is more effective than a woman's touch, after all," she shot back, and the orange-head let out a laugh.

"Come here, you."

Yoruichi grinned and swiftly closed the distance between them, before leaping into her boyfriend's arms. He easily held her up, but that quickly changed when she decided to fully shift into her panther form.

Ichigo collapsed to the floor, letting out a grunt as the big cat made herself comfortable on top of him. "You're not gonna let me up, are you?" he groaned.

The shapeshifter purred for a moment in mock-thought before shaking her head. "Not a chance."

The orange-head chuckled with a slight strain. "You know…I never thought I would be pinned to the floor by an alpha predator without completely shitting myself…"

Yoruichi laughed and slowly returned to her human form. However, one of the side effects of transforming was that it completely tore whatever clothes she was wearing to pieces, which meant she was now left totally naked. "Wanna break this place in?" she teased, pressing her breasts against her boyfriend's chest.

Ichigo's eyes widened, and his girlfriend let out a delighted shriek as he quickly jumped to his feet and hauled her into the bedroom.

* * *

 **Some of you may question the purpose of a time skip in only the second chapter, but I can assure you that it will make sense further down the line.**

 **And, just so that everyone is clear, Yoruichi is able to transform into both a semi-animalistic state, as well as a full on normal looking black panther. However, she** _ **does**_ **have a dark purple stripe of fur running along her spine.**

 **I honestly have no idea how long this story will end up being. I have a concrete direction and plot line that I wish to follow, but I am unsure as to how many chapters it will take up. Either way, I plan on writing my ideas out in their entirety.**

 **I will be returning to "Bloodstained Souls" and "Desires of the Heart" shortly, but in all likelihood, I will be posting one more chapter for this story before doing so.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed, and as always, reviews are more than welcome.**

 **AlucardsBro OUT!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Miracles We Make

* * *

 **I'm glad to see that a few people seem to find this story interesting.**

 **I am not used to writing homey and romantic scenes, so it's good to see that my attempts are being accepted so warmly. Seriously guys. I don't think most of you realize how good it feels to have your works and ideas appreciated the way mine have. I sincerely thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.**

 **Be prepared for at least a few short time skips**

 **I hope everyone enjoys the third chapter!**

 **AlucardsBro OUT!**

* * *

She was alone when she first began to notice the signs.

It was a Thursday, and so naturally, Ichigo had been forced to leave their cozy little abode and go to school. Yoruichi didn't really mind all of the alone time she had during the week; she'd been forced to live on her own ever since she'd run away from her most recent guardians, after all.

It had rained the previous night, and so droplets of moisture clung to the windows, casting beautiful reflections in every direction. Most people would be annoyed at the idea of getting wet, but to her, the rain was just another beautiful thing that nature provided.

Maybe it was the animal in her, but Yoruichi had learned to appreciate the small things in life.

Letting out a sigh of contentment, the violet-haired woman continued with her task of pulling out all of their freshly washed clothes from the dryer. She would have let them air dry on the clothesline, but the rain had quite obviously put a stop to that idea.

It had been a little over four weeks since she'd revealed her secret to Ichigo, and it warmed her heart that their relationship hadn't changed in the slightest because of it. She allowed herself to slip into her panther form every now and then in the privacy of the apartment, and when she did, her boyfriend simply smiled and scratched behind her ears.

And didn't _that_ feel wonderful?

Chuckling to herself, Yoruichi picked up the basket filled with dry clothes and carried it into the living room. She always preferred to fold clothes by the window, even if it was dark or raining outside.

Lowering herself to the floor, she set the basket next to her and began the steady process of removing one garment at a time. She folded each neatly and carefully before placing them in assorted stacks around her, which would later be put in either the dressers or the closet.

After a minute or two, she pulled out one of Ichigo's ratty old sweatshirts.

She had given him plenty of grief for keeping the damn thing around, but in truth, she loved it.

Bringing the article of clothing up to her face, she inhaled deeply. A smile nearly split her face in two when she easily detected her boyfriend's scent. He had told her a few days ago that she smelled of catnip and lavender. Well, _his_ scent was comprised of a mixture between pine something a bit muskier that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Lowering the garment back to her lap, Yoruichi prepared to fold it up.

However, a sudden lurch in her stomach gave her pause. Frowning, she remained still for a while. When nothing happened, she merely shrugged and turned back to her task.

Then, without any warning, it felt like her stomach did at least thirty somersaults.

The dark-skinned woman's hand rose to her mouth, and she jumped up from her seated position. Sprinting through the apartment, she made it to the toilet just in time to _loudly_ empty her breakfast into the porcelain bowl.

Heaving into the poor toilet for at least three full minutes, Yoruichi eventually raised her head and groaned miserably at the ceiling. "What the _fuck_?"

She hardly ever got sick!

Her animalistic nature allowed her to consume quite a few things that would give an ordinary human severe indigestion. Even so, she still made sure to keep herself on a relatively healthy diet with a few sugary snacks throw in here and there.

To her knowledge, there wasn't any kind of a virus going around her workplace. That was really the only place where she spent time around a considerable number of people.

And Ichigo hadn't been sick, so she couldn't have caught anything from him.

That's when the realization hit her like a punch to the gut.

It had been a little over four weeks since she'd come clean to Ichigo…and they'd had sex that night. She hadn't had her period since then…

Shakily rising to her feet, the dark-skinned woman trudged to their bedroom. Changing out of her pajamas and into some suitable clothing for the slightly chilly weather, she hesitantly grabbed her bag and left the apartment.

The short walk to the convenience store felt more like a marathon.

She couldn't be pregnant…could she?

She most definitely wanted kids, but she had always planned that she and Ichigo would start raising a family once he finished college and they'd gotten married. He was only twenty-one, and she was barely two years older!

They'd only been together for two and a half months, and now she might actually be knocked up…

' _It's fine,'_ she mentally reassured herself as she entered through the sliding doors of the store. _'I probably just picked up some kind of a bug when we were walking around the city.'_

As discreetly as she could, Yoruichi sneaked to the feminine hygiene and healthcare aisle, where she quickly found what she was looking for. Snagging a box of pregnancy tests off of the shelf, she briskly walked up to the front counter and ignored everyone she passed on the way.

She firmly set the box on the counter, which slightly startled the poor young girl behind the register.

"I'm just supposed to piss on one of these and then wait a few minutes, right?" the violet-haired woman asked.

The orange-haired cashier was apparently taken aback by her bluntness, but nodded nonetheless. "Y-Yes ma'am."

Grunting in acknowledgement, Yoruichi paid for her purchase and quickly left the store, speed-walking back to the apartment.

Once she was through the door, she made to enter the bathroom, but hesitated when she was just outside the doorway. She could feel herself trembling, and her breathing felt like it was shuddering. Sucking in a deep breath, the panther woman steeled her nerves and prepared herself to do what she had to do.

She closed the bathroom door, and uncapped one of the pregnancy tests.

* * *

"Just a moment Ichigo."

The orange-haired young man paused in the doorway of the lecture hall when he heard Professor Ukitake call out his name. He didn't think he'd done anything wrong, and the white-haired man was offering him smile, so he turned back around and headed for the professor's desk.

As the rest of the students exited the classroom, Ukitate chuckled and shook his head. "I don't know what you've been doing, but I strongly encourage you to keep it up."

Ichigo frowned in confusion. "I'm sorry; what are you talking about Sir?"

Sitting down in his chair Ukitake gestured to a stack of recently graded essays. "You were always one of the most accomplished students in my class, but a little over a month ago, your grades shot up to the very top. I'm not sure whether or not you've adopted a more effective study habit, or if you just received a burst of motivation, but you're doing an excellent job."

The orange-head's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He'd definitely been working his ass off to the best of his ability, and ever since he'd met Yoruichi, he'd been working even harder to make sure he passed through college with flying colors.

But still, he hadn't realized that he'd made it to the very _top_ of the class…

"Aren't professors supposed to keep other students' information confidential?" he asked.

Ukitake merely shrugged and let out a sigh. "Yes, well, I didn't actually tell you what their specific grades are, now did I? Besides, there are a few of your classmates who could stand to learn a thing or two about hard work."

Chuckling, Ichigo turned and made to leave. "Thank you for the compliment."

The white-haired professor merely nodded and waved him off; turning to a stack of ungraded papers.

Exiting the classroom and maneuvering through the seemingly endless sea of his peers in the hallway, Ichigo brought up a hand to look at his watch. It was only a little bit past noon, which meant that he should probably try to find himself a little nourishment before carrying on with the rest of the day.

As he made his way to the cafeteria, his mind began to drift. Yoruichi's true nature was something that he'd come to wholeheartedly accept, and although it was certainly a life-changing revelation, it was still the most incredible thing he could think of.

It felt like something out of a story book…

Smiling and shaking his head, Ichigo exited the history building and walked across the courtyard towards the cafeteria. By utter chance alone, he cast a random glance towards the main university gates, and was surprised to see none other than his girlfriend standing there.

He frowned. She hadn't called him or let him know she was stopping by in any kind of fashion, and although that wasn't anything too out of the ordinary, her sudden appearance concerned him slightly.

Changing directions, he walked through the crowds of the college students and approached her at a steady pace. Once he got close enough to actually see her face, he noticed that she looked _very_ deep in thought.

Coming to a stop only about three feet away from her, the orange-head grew even more concerned when she didn't even seem to register his presence.

"Hey," he spoke up softly.

She startled and looked up at him, almost as if coming out of a trance. "H-Hey…"

"You okay?" he asked. "You know that I love it when you drop by unannounced, but…you seem off."

She winced slightly and squirmed under his gaze for a while. Eventually, she sucked in a breath and met his eyes with her own. "Ichigo, there's…there's something I have to tell you…"

The orange-haired young man cocked his head to the side. "I'm listening."

The violet-haired woman sighed. "Well, the thing is…"

She fell silent and looked back at the ground. Ichigo's brow furrowed, but still he waited for her to continue. He didn't want her to feel too pressured, after all.

After a few minutes, she let out another sigh and raised her head. "Do you remember that night when I told you about myself?"

He nodded.

"And do you remember what we did when we went back to your apartment?"

The orange-head snorted. "Of course I remember; it was one of the best experiences of my life."

Yoruichi laughed lightly at that, but quickly grew serious once more. "Well, do you know what happens when two people have sex…?"

He raised an eyebrow. "They feel good?"

Giving her boyfriend a slightly incredulous stare, she let out a frustrated sigh and held out her palm. "Give me your hand."

Shrugging, Ichigo raised his hand and set it in her own. He could literally feel her shaking as she slowly brought it to rest against her abdomen.

The orange-head looked at her stomach in confusion for a moment, before his eyes slowly began to widen in realization.

Yoruichi swallowed thickly and closed her eyes, waiting for his reaction. She was most certainly _not_ prepared for the young man to let out a joyous whoop and pick her up under her arms, before spinning her around in the air. This action, of course, drew the attention of absolutely everyone in the surrounding area, and the dark-skinned woman blushed at all of the prying eyes.

Finally, Ichigo set her back down, but after he did so he immediately leaned in for a passionate kiss. Yoruichi let out a muffled sound of surprise and confusion, but she quickly returned the gesture of affection nonetheless.

Once they finally separated, she was honestly a bit shocked to see the smile that threatened to split his face in half. "Y-You're not upset?"

The orange-head laughed nervously and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm definitely shocked, and more than a little terrified, but I'm not upset. I know that we're both definitely too young for this, but I don't really care. I'm just happy that we're actually having a _child._ "

Yoruichi smiled hesitantly, and she could feel the beginnings of joyous tears gathering in her eyes. He was right…

They were going to have a baby…

Now that she thought about it, her earlier paranoia hadn't really been well founded. She had every right to be nervous though; she was a twenty-three-year-old pregnant woman whose boyfriend was still in college, after all. Even so, she knew that Ichigo loved her, and she should have known that he would stick with her through this.

The father-to-be in question suddenly smiled again and lowered his backpack to the ground, before sinking into a crouch so that he was eye-level with her stomach.

"Hey there little guy! Although, I guess you could turn out to be a girl. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that daddy loves you, and you're lucky to have such a beautiful mama."

Yoruichi laughed and reached up to wipe her eyes. Once Ichigo returned to a standing position, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, bringing him in for another loving kiss. "I don't think that they can hear you yet…"

He merely shrugged and planted another kiss on her forehead. "Eh, it still doesn't hurt to let them know."

She chuckled and leaned against his chest, breathing in his scent.

"Have you gone to a doctor yet?" he asked.

She tensed at the question, and he pulled away slightly to look at her in concern.

Shaking her head, she gently took hold of his hands and began to lead him away. "I can't say here…"

Nodding in understanding, Ichigo briefly bent down to pick up his bag before allowing her to pull him away from the University and through the crowd people. After a few minutes of walking, they finally reached the park. However, instead of going to their usual spot under the cherry tree, Yoruichi led him even further, to an isolated area with no one around.

After looking around to make sure that there were no eavesdroppers nearby, the dark-skinned woman turned back to face the father of her child. "We can't go to a doctor about this."

He frowned. "What? Why not?"

She sighed. "Before they died, my parents told me nearly everything that they could about our people. Apparently, most panther children are born looking like completely normal human infants, but some come out looking like a mix between a baby and a feline cub. I was one of those few, but I was able to learn how to switch back and forth as I got older."

Ichigo's eyes widened slightly at that bit of information. If they went to a delivery room when the time came, and their child was born looking like a tiny panther or jaguar, then there would most definitely be major repercussions. That meant that they were on their own…

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

She merely shrugged and wrapped her arms around herself. "We'll just have to do everything ourselves to the best of our ability."

After their talk, and after the revelation that they would have to fend for themselves during the entirety of her pregnancy, Ichigo and Yoruichi relocated to the public library.

While his girlfriend made herself busy looking through various books concerning general child welfare, Ichigo himself had something far more specific in mind.

After getting some assistance from the kind elderly librarian, the orange-head finally found what he was looking for. After locating the necessary books, he sat down at a secluded table and looked dumbly at the covers.

" _Natural Birth: Your Body and You,"_ and " _Raising Exotic Species."_

To be completely honest, he had no idea which one would hold more helpful information regarding his situation, but he supposed that it wouldn't hurt to learn as much as he could from both. He heard footsteps approaching his table, and soon enough Yoruichi plopped down in the empty chair next to him, a stack of medical books in her arms.

"So, what did _you_ find?" she asked sarcastically.

"I have no idea what to do," he groaned in reply, resting his forehead against the cool wood of the table. He let out a content sigh when he felt his girlfriend begin to soothingly run her fingers through his hair.

"Heh, you think this is bad now?" she chuckled. "Wait until you have to deal with me a few months from now when I'm bloated and craving the most disgusting things imaginable."

He smiled at her joke, and turned his head slightly to look at her. "We're going to be in for one hell of a ride, aren't we?"

The dark-skinned woman let out a resigned sigh and nodded. "Yeah, but it'll all be worth it when we get to finally meet them."

The orange-head grinned and sat back up before leaning in to give the mother of his child a kiss.

"Yeah, you're right."

* * *

Ichigo awoke to the sound of vomiting.

Reaching up to rub his eyes, he rolled over at look at Yoruichi's side of the bed. It was empty.

He could see light in the hallway, and surmised that his girlfriend was in the bathroom. Rising form the bed, he padded out of the room and down the hall. The bathroom door was open, and he could see his violet-haired lover with her face hovering over the toilet bowl.

If she heard him coming, she didn't react in the slightest.

Crouching next to her, he smiled sympathetically and reached out to rub gentle circles along her spine. "Better out than in, huh baby?"

"Shut up…" she groaned, not even bothering to look up at him.

He chuckled softly and continued his physical ministrations as she fell into another lapse of dry-heaving. After about five minutes of sitting together on the bathroom floor, Yoruichi finally met her boyfriend's eyes, and he had to suppress a wince.

She looked miserable.

"I'm hungry," she rasped.

"Are you sure you want to eat _now_? You just puked into the toilet," he said.

"Don't care. Need food."

Ichigo glanced over his shoulder at the clock hanging on the wall a bit further down the hallway.

It was barely eight minutes past two in the morning.

"We only found out about you being pregnant a few days ago. How can you already be having cravings?" he questioned, turning back to her.

The dark-skinned woman let out a tired and frustrated sigh. "Ichigo, I _really_ don't care. Maybe it's a panther thing. But, what I _do_ know is that I'm hungry enough to eat a cow…"

The young couple stared at one another for a while, before finally the orange-head sighed and stood up. "I'll go get my jacket…"

After getting properly dressed, and after having Yoruichi write him a list of the things she wanted, the twenty-one-year-old young man left their apartment and walked through the dark to the nearest late-night supermarket. There were only a few such stores in their area that stayed open twenty-four hours a day, and he was thankful that there was one relatively nearby.

Buttoning up his jacket with one hand, Ichigo glanced down at his shopping list and grimaced.

Beef, rice, eggs, pickles, tuna, cheese, chicken, and soup.

He sincerely hoped that his girlfriend planned on eating all of these things separately. Otherwise, he might have to move to a different room while she did so.

A few minutes of walking later, he finally made it to the supermarket. Entering through the automatic sliding doors and waving to the blond man behind the counter, he grabbed a shopping cart and prepared to gather everything he'd been asked to. The beef and eggs alone were at a considerably high price, but he would happily spend a bit of money to keep the mother of his growing child happy.

With his items selected, Ichigo walked back up to the register.

"Throwing a party?" the man behind the counter asked.

He chuckled. "Nah, just stocking up."

The blond cashier shook his head. "I can't imagine you and that lady friend of yours going through all of this before it goes bad. But hey, what do I know?"

The orange-head laughed and forked over the necessary amount of money.

"Thanks, Kisuke," he said as he grabbed his bags and exited the store.

When Ichigo made it back to their apartment, Yoruichi was obviously feeling much better. As the orange-haired young man entered through the door, she looked up from her sitting position on the couch and offered him a thankful smile. While her boyfriend packed away his purchases in the freezer and refrigerator, she continued to slowly rub her belly.

She obviously wasn't showing yet, but she still felt an incredible sense of love for the child within her.

Finishing with his task, Ichigo trudged over and sat next to her; resting his head against the back of the sofa. "Have you been thinking of any names?" he asked.

She nodded and leaned against him. "If it's a girl…then I'm thinking about Moka. What do you think?"

He smiled and leaned over to kiss the side of her head. "I think Moka would be a beautiful name. But what if it's a boy?"

The violet-haired woman hummed in thought. "I haven't really decided on that yet…"

The orange-head closed his eyes in contemplation, before opening them back up a moment later. "How about Arashi?"

She cuddled into him and chuckled. "Arashi it is, then."

* * *

As the months continued to wear on, spring turned into summer, and summer gave way to fall.

The leaves on the trees changed to beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow.

However, Ichigo Kurosaki only had eyes for one thing.

Now eight months into her pregnancy, Yoruichi had quite the obvious baby-bump. However, in order to keep people from asking questions and making assumptions, she decided to spend most of her time confined to the apartment. Therefore, it had fallen upon Ichigo to run all of her errands and provide for their financial needs.

Before she had begun showing too much, Yoruichi had decided to quit her job. Her reasoning being that she wanted to both avoid her nosy coworkers and boss, as well as the fact that she wanted to spend as much time with her child as she could after they were born.

Ichigo still attended school, but in addition to working at the café he had taken up a second job with a moving company. This brought a much-needed increase in salary into the Kurosaki-Shihouin household, but unfortunately, it also meant that the orange-head was forced to spend the majority of his weekends away from the woman he loved.

Regardless, they both knew that it was necessary, and he more than made up for his absence when he got home in the evening.

Sometimes, while Yoruichi sat either in a chair or on the couch, he would sit on the floor in front of her with his head in her lap, talking to the child growing inside of her. They both treasured those moments, when the world melted away and it was just the three of them…

They were fairly confident that there was only one baby, but without a doctor, they still couldn't be one-hundred percent sure. They still didn't even know whether or not they would be having a boy or a girl.

They didn't care either way, though. They just couldn't wait to meet them.

Ichigo had voiced his concerns a few times about his girlfriend having to endure a natural birth when the time came, but she had always assured him that she would be fine. Her own parents had been forced to do the same thing. Granted, they were far more prepared than the young couple had ever been, but Yoruichi was still fairly confident that she would be able to endure without too much of a hassle.

Thankfully, her absolutely voracious appetite had toned down about halfway through her second trimester, and now she only got incredibly hungry every once and a while.

Currently, the violet-haired woman was sitting on the floor in front of a heater, sewing a small black panther doll. She had honestly never imagined herself doing something so domestic, but the thought of being a mother seemed to get to her more than she thought it would.

Ichigo had stepped out to run a few errands, as well as pick up what he claimed would be a surprise. The sun was beginning to set, but she wasn't worried about him. He usually called her if he thought he was going to be held up later than intended, and sometimes that meant he would only get home around midnight.

Still, he smiled through it all and continued working hard for the sake of their small family.

Looking over at the clock, Yoruichi decided that it would probably be a good idea to go ahead and go to bed. She had stopped staying up very late after she'd learned she was pregnant. Even if it didn't have too much of an effect on her, she wanted to be in top physical and mental condition for when the baby arrived.

After having a small snack of rice and eggs, she took a shower, brushed her teeth, and changed into her pajamas.

She was incredibly thankful that her nausea had also stopped after the first few months of her term. For a while, she had been forced to keep a small bowl by her bedside for when she couldn't make it to the bathroom in time. And _that_ had most definitely been the most unpleasant smell she had ever been forced to endure, especially with her enhanced senses.

Carefully easing herself into the bed, she paused upon hearing keys being jangled right outside of their front door. She smiled and stood back up to greet him. "Hey baby, I'm glad you made it home safel…what the hell happened to you?"

Ichigo, standing in the doorway and wearing a heavy jacket, was absolutely covered head to toe in multicolored feathers. And he was smiling like a lunatic. It also appeared as though he was hiding something behind his back.

Grinning widely, he showed her his prize.

A dead, Japanese Green Pheasant.

Yoruichi stared at the bird in shock before looking back up at her boyfriend. "Where did you get that?"

"I caught it!" he replied proudly. "I took a ride out to the countryside a few days ago and set a few traps. When I went to go check them this afternoon, this big guy was thrashing around in one of them. I figured you'd prefer fresh meat every once and a while as opposed to store bought packages…"

The dark-skinned woman's surprise slowly melted away into a watery smile.

If their lovers had brought a dead animal into their home, most women would react incredibly poorly and scream like maniacs. To Yoruichi, however, it was one of the sweetest things Ichigo had ever done.

Her animal nature had mentally commanded her to find as much fresh meat as she could to provide nutrients for her cub, but what with living in the city and being surrounded by so many people, she had resigned herself with settling for canned food and frozen meals. The fact that Ichigo went to all the trouble of learning how to properly set traps, as well as regularly check them, warmed her heart immensely.

Walking forward with a hand resting on her belly, she inspected her mate's catch. "This will make for a very nice stew…I'll get the broth ready. You know how to pluck birds correctly, right?"

The orange-head nodded. "Yep, I've been studying."

The violet-haired woman laughed and leaned forward to give him a kiss, which he happily returned. "I don't think you realize how much I appreciate this…"

He grinned and shrugged. "I try my best."

She chuckled again and swatted him on the shoulder playfully, before turning to the kitchen to prepare all of the ingredients for their dinner. Ichigo himself grabbed a bowl and a knife before taking his catch out to their balcony.

The plucking process took a while, and the actual cooking even more so. However, once it was finished, the young couple kneeled down at their little table and enjoyed the fruits of their labor. There was something about the fact that their meal had been caught and prepared by hand themselves that made it taste all the better.

This is what a family was supposed to be.

And soon enough, they'd be welcoming a new little member into it.

* * *

It was cold outside.

Snow was beginning collect on the ground, and lights were strung up on various businesses and shops all across the city. People bustled about in search for holiday gifts for their loved ones, and nearly everyone in Tokyo was settling into the festive spirit of the season.

One young couple, though, was anxiously awaiting the arrival of another kind of gift.

The spare bedroom in the Kurosaki-Shihouin household had been turned into a nursery. A crib was situated against the far wall, various baby books and toys were stacked on a multitude of shelves, and a changing station was set up near the doorway. Ichigo and Yoruichi were fully prepared for their child to arrive.

And then, one December morning, it finally happened.

Years later, the orange-head would always say how lucky they'd been that he'd been given the day off from both of his jobs.

Yoruichi was sitting by the window in her usual spot folding laundry. She felt a sudden jolt in her stomach, but the baby had been kicking more and more recently, so she didn't pay it too much mind.

Then, however, the sensation returned with a vengeance, along with a wet sensation trickling across her inner thighs. Letting out a gasp, she attempted to rise to her feet, but apparently all of the strength in her legs had decided to abandon her.

"Ichigo!" she cried. "Ichigo!"

Her boyfriend ran into the room, eyes wide. "What? What's wrong?!"

"It's happening," she replied, suppressing a cry of shock as a contraction ripped through her body.

The young man's jaw fell open. "Now?!"

She nodded frantically. " _Now._ "

Ichigo appeared to teleport across the room, and carefully helped the violet-haired woman into a standing position. Slowly, the young couple made their way into the nursery, where a pile of blankets and pillows had been gathered on the floor for this very moment.

As Yoruichi continued to let out steadying breaths, the orange-head himself felt terror take hold of his heart. They had both come to terms with the fact that they would have to deliver the baby themselves, and he had reread several books detailing the process of natural birth at least twenty times.

He had become confident in his ability to handle the situation calmly, but now that the moment had actually arrived, all of that confidence had been thrown out the window. Still, he needed to try and concentrate to the best of his ability for Yoruichi's sake.

As she was lowered onto the pile of blankets, the dark-skinned woman bit back another cry as another contraction flared in her lower half. As much as she wanted to voice her pain, she knew in the back of her mind that she couldn't. A screaming woman would draw far too much attention from their neighbors.

They had prepared for this, but that still didn't take away from the worry they both felt.

What if their child had something wrong with it that they weren't aware of?

Pushing those thoughts out of her mind, Yoruichi attempted to concentrate on the delivery process while remaining as quiet as possible. Ichigo removed her lower garments and settled between her legs to keep track of her progress.

The hours were long, and the strain was almost unbearable. But in the end, it was all worth it…

Moka Kurosaki was brought into the world as the snow fell outside.

No doctor…no hospital…nothing.

Just the man and the woman who conceived her.

After cleaning his girlfriend and daughter up, Ichigo gently brought the little girl up to nurse from her mother. Yoruichi smiled tiredly, a layer of sweat covering her body. The feeling of closeness she felt as her child began to feed was unlike anything she had ever experienced.

"I'm so glad that she's healthy…" she breathed.

Her boyfriend smiled, scooting up to lay down next to her. "Yeah…healthy and beautiful, just like her mother."

"What do you think she'll grow up to be?"

He chuckled softly, watching in adoration as their daughter continued to nurse. "She can be anything she wants. Human or panther, it doesn't matter. For someone like her, the sky is the only limit that exists."

"I hope she'll have a kind heart," the violet-haired woman smiled, leaning against her lover's shoulder.

"Don't forget a good mind," he grinned, pressing a kiss against his girlfriend's forehead.

Yoruichi hummed in contentment and adjusted their child as she finished feeding. "I just want her to grow up happy…that's my ultimate wish."

Ichigo nodded.

"Then it's up to us to make that wish come true."

It seemed like just yesterday that he'd seen that amber-eyed beauty in the lecture hall. At the time, he had never imagined that they would become anything but friends, much less romantic partners.

Now, though, he couldn't imagine anything in his life changing.

He was happy.

He had a loving girlfriend and a beautiful daughter…and they were his entire world.

* * *

 **Ah, the beauty of parenthood.**

 **Ichigo and Yoruichi certainly didn't plan for Moka to arrive, but any parent can probably express that there is no greater joy than bringing a child into the world.**

 **Now then, since so many people seem to be keen on griping about it, I will address the status of "A Trial by Heroism" and "Fibers of the Universe." I am still writing the new chapters, but to be completely honest I have lost almost all motivation for those stories. When I first published them, I was in a Ben 10 mood. I am no longer in a Ben 10 mood.**

 **I suppose that I could grasp out some half-decent chapters if that's what you guys want, but I would personally feel better if they met my own personal expectations. I would much rather prefer take as much time as I need to actually write good chapters, instead of merely popping out garbage.**

 **Well, now that the little announcement/ rant is out of the way…**

 **Like I said last chapter, this will most likely be the last quick update that this story will receive for a while. I think I have finally moved past my writer's block for "Bloodstained Souls," but I will be giving "Desires of the Heart" some more attention before I return to it.**

 **I hope that everyone enjoyed this sweet little chapter. People don't always plan for children to happen, but I wanted to portray the love that parents feel for their children as best I could. Even if those parents are far too young, and are still inexperienced in the ways of the world.**

 **As always, reviews are more than welcome, but if all you're going to do is complain to me about how you want updates for my other stories, then I would rather you send me a PM.**

 **AlucardsBro OUT!**


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